Health

You must meet certain
health requirements. The health examinations you need will depend on your personal circumstances. The results are usually valid for 12 months. Do not arrange a health examination until we ask you to.

​

Health insurance

You are responsible for all your health costs while you are in Australia. You will not be covered by Australia's national health scheme (Medicare) unless your country has a
reciprocal health care agreement with Australia.

If your country does not have a reciprocal health care agreement with Australia, you should ensure your insurance will provide at least the level of coverage required for the purpose of your stay. Your health insurer can be in either Australia or your home country. Attachment A in the
health insurance standard template letter (138KB RTF) is a guide to the level of health insurance we will accept as adequate.

​

Character

You must meet certain
character requirements. You must be prepared to provide a police certificate from each country you have lived in for 12 months or more during the past 10 years after you turned 16 years of age. Do not arrange for police certificates until we ask you to.

​

Debts to the Australian government

You must have no outstanding debts to the Australian Government or have arranged to repay any outstanding debts to the Australian Government before this visa can be granted.

The visa

​

About this visa

The Transit visa (subclass 771) lets you transit through Australia for no longer than 72 hours.

Your Transit visa lets you to travel to Australia by air. If you arrive in Australia by air on a Transit visa and hold no other visa (other than a Maritime crew visa (subclass 988)), your
Maritime crew visa (subclass 988) will cease within five days if you do not sign onto your ship.

​

What you can do

This visa lets you:

transit through Australia

enter and stay in Australia for no longer than 72 hours.

You must not work in Australia.

​

Cost

There is no application charge for this visa.

Other costs

You could have to pay other costs, such as the costs of health assessments and police certificates, or any other certificates or tests. You are responsible for making the necessary arrangements.

​

Location

You must be outside Australia when the application is lodged and the visa is granted.

​

How long the visas lasts

The Transit visa (subclass 771) is valid for 72 hours after your arrival in Australia.

A further Transit visa cannot be granted while you are in Australia.

If you are granted a multiple entry Transit visa and you do not depart Australia within 72 hours of an arrival in Australia on this visa, your multiple entry Transit visa will cease and you will need to apply for a new visa to enter Australia. If you do not hold another valid visa, you may also be liable for removal from Australia.

Maritime Crew

If you are a Maritime Crew visa holder who is seeking to transit Australia to join a ship as a member of crew. You will need to apply for a new Transit visa (or alternative visa such as a Visitor Visa) on each occasion you are seeking to enter Australia by air to join a ship.

​

Family

Each family member must make a separate visa application.

​

Your obligations

You must not stay in Australia for longer than 72 hours.

Follow these steps

Before you apply

​

Do I need a transit visa

Your passport

You must have a valid passport to be granted this visa.

If you plan to get a new passport, you should do so before applying for your visa. Your visa is linked to the passport number you used in your application and you need to use the same passport to travel to Australia.

Gather documents

​

Documents

Prepare your documents

You need to provide documents to support your application for this visa. We can make a decision using the information you provide when you lodge your application. It is in your interest to provide as much information as possible with your application

Provide certified copies of original documents. Do not include original documents unless we specifically ask for them. Police certificates should be original documents. Documents not in English must be accompanied by accredited English translations.

Apply

​

Apply for the visa

You should apply for a Transit visa well ahead of your intended travel through Australia to avoid disruption to your travel plans.

You must apply for this visa online using
ImmiAccount. You should upload all relevant documents with your online application.

Maritime Crew

If your purpose of transit is to depart as a Maritime crew member on a non-military ship, you must hold a Maritime Crew (subclass 988) visa before you can be granted a Transit visa. If you do not currently hold a Maritime Crew visa, you should apply for this visa before you apply for a Transit Visa. See information on the
Maritime Crew Visa (subclass 988).

After you apply

Wait for a decision

After you have lodged your application and documents, we will acknowledge that we have received your information.

Your application could take longer if you need to provide biometrics, character or health checks (including x-rays), if you need to provide more information, or if your application is incomplete.

Do
not make arrangements to travel to Australia until you are advised in writing that you have been granted a visa. If you are granted a visa, we will send you a visa grant letter.

​

Provide more information

You can provide more information to us, at any time until a decision is made on the application. If you want to correct information you provided, use
Form 1023 - Notification of incorrect answer(s) (99KB PDF).

We could also ask you for more information. You will have to respond by a set date. After that date, we can make a decision about your application using the information that we have.

If another person gives us information that could result in you being refused a visa, we will usually give you the opportunity to comment on the information.

You might also be interviewed. If you are asked to attend an interview in person, bring your passport or other identification and any requested documents to the interview.

​

Provide biometric

You may be asked to provide
biometrics (a scientific form of identification) as part of the application. Countries and visa subclasses included in the biometrics program has more information.

Visa decision

If the visa is refused, we will send you a letter or email stating why it was refused.

​

Tell us of changes

You must tell us if your circumstances change. This includes a new residential address, a new passport, or a pregnancy, birth, divorce, separation, marriage, de facto relationship or death in your family.

More information is available in the Tell us of changes tab.

Tell us of changes

​

Changes to your circumstances

Report changes in your circumstances via ImmiAccount. If you are not able to use ImmiAccount, you can use the following forms:

Form 929 - Change of address and/or passport details (86KB PDF) - if you move to a new address or change your passport

Form 1022 - Notification of changes in circumstances (77KB PDF) - if there are other changes in your circumstances.

If you do not provide us with the details of any new passport issued to you, you could experience significant delays at the airport and may be denied permission to board your plane.

​

Withdrawing your visa application

You can withdraw the application at any time before we make a decision about it. To do this, send us a letter or email to ask for the withdrawal. Your request must include your full name and date of birth. You should also include the number we gave you when you applied, if you know it – this could be a file reference number, client ID, or a Transaction Reference Number.

If you are 18 years of age or older, you must sign the letter of withdrawal or send a separate email or letter.